Wringer apparatus



3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

J. L. PERKINS WRINGER APPARATUS May 30', 1933.

Filed Sept. 8, 195.1

May 30, 1933- J. L. PERKINS WRINGER APPARATUS Filed Sept. B, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .f llullllll l ATTORNEY.

May 30, 1933- J. PERKINS 1,912,220

WRINGER APPARATUS Filed Sept. 8, 1931 .'5y Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY.

` Patented Mayi30, 1933 This invention relates to improvements in wringer apparatus and is directed more particularly to wringer apparatus having means associated therewith for automatically disconnecting the wringer rolls from the drivwrlnger. ing means therefor.

l1`he principal object of the invention is the provision of wringer apparatus whichhas incorporated therein novel features of construction and arrangement to enable an operator to instantly and readily disconnect the rolls of the wringer from the driving mechanism therefor and in that way safeguard the operator against injury.

Various novel features of construction and arrangement will be hereinafter more fully referred to in connection with the accompanying description of the preferred form of the invent-ion, which for purposes of distherein. i closure is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is an elevational View of a wringer apparatus embodying the novel features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevational view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view through the driving mechanism of the wringer.

Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of the Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional elevational view on the line '6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is'an inverted plan View of certain of the parts taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a combined sectional and elevational view taken at the right hand end of the wringer apparatus shown in Fig. l with shaftA 6 the parts in an inoperative position, and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 with the parts in an operative position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail the invention will be fully described.

In general the wringer apparatus consists of a wringer indicated generally by W which is associated with and supported by a wringer head indicated by H. The wringwith the driver 8.

wnI'NGER APPARATUS Application filed September. 8, 1931. Serial No. 561,575.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JULIAN L. PERKINS, 0F WEST SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS er head includes engageable wringer driving mechanism arranged as the wringer is moved relative to the head to be engaged and disengaged ,for operating'the rolls of the The head H comprises a casing'or housing 2 which has aA depending tubular support member 4. This support 4 may be supported on a washing machine or the like and may receive an operating shaft (not shown) which is in some suitable manner connected to a drive shaft 6 journalled in the housing. A driving member 8 in the form of a.pinion is carried by the drive shaft 6 and is adapted to engage either one of a pair of spaced c driven gears 10. A barrel or cam member 12 is slidable and oscillatable in the housing and has a drive roll shaft 14 rotatable This shaft 14 is preferably hollow with H a non-round socket 16 in its end adjacent thewringer W. A port-ionv18 of the shaft 14 1s preferably square so as to be non-rov tatable in the gears 10. A stub-shaft 2O in the shaft 14 has an outer end 22 rotatable in the member 12. The gears 10 are suitably joined together by a hub 11 and the shafts -14 and 20 are connected by the pin and slot connection indicated at 15. r The member 12 is the form of a cylinder and has a pocket 24 adjacent its right hand end in which the gears 10 operate. The

member 12 is shiftable longitudinally of the housing so as to move the gears 10 into and out of engagement with the driver 8. With one of these gears 10 in engagement with the driver 8 the shaft 14 may be driven in one direction or the other or when the gears 10 are in the neutral position shown in Fig. r 4, the shaft 14 is disconnected from the drive AY stud 30 in the lower side of the member 12 operates in a slo''fJ 31 of the housing -which is disposed angularly with respect to the axis of vshaft 14. As the member 12 is oscillated in one direction or the .other it will be moved longitudinally of the housing 2 in one direction or the other and thereby move the gears 10 into and out of engagement Cal In Fig. 5 the pin 30 is shown in a neutral position in which as in Fig. 4 neither of the gears 10 engage the driver 8. As the member 12 isoscillated from its neutral .position thepin will travel along the slot so as to move the member 12 longitudinally as explained and engage one of the gears 10 with the driver 8.

A plurality of balls 40 are movable in suit- `able sockets 42 of the barrel member 12 and are urged outwardly by means of springs l 44, as shown. The central ball of the group is receivable in an opening 46 in the lower side of the housing. This central ball and the opening 46 are so arranged that this ball enters the opening when the member 12 is in a neutral position and serves to yieldingly hold the member 12 in its neutral or inoperative position.

The other balls 40 are arranged to bear on the inner` surface of the shell or housing 2 and yieldingly support the member 12 adjacent one end.

A groove 50 is provided in the upper side of the member 12 adjacent its right-hand end and a plurality of balls 52 are located therein in such a way as to serve as a bearing means between the member 12 and housing 2. The balls 40 referred to and these balls 50 serve to rotatably support the member 12 to facilitate easy oscillatory movements and at the same time function to take up thrust in case the wringer W tends to tilt downwardly with respect to the housing 2.

The frame 70 of the wringer has an end portion or end Wall .72 suitably secured to the member 12 by means of bolts 74 or the like, and a drive roll 76 of the wringer is suitably journalled in opposite ends 71 of the frame and has a shaft 78 so formed as to be receivable in the socket 16 of shaft 14.

Arms 78 pivoted to ends 71 of the frame 70 I carry a driven wringer roll 80 which contacts with and is driven by roll 76. In the form of the invention shown these arms are movable 'so that the roll 80 may be moved towards and away from the roll 76 but this mechanism forms no part of the invention and for purposes of disclosure it ma be assumed that the roll 80 is suitably journalled in the frame in some desired manner.

During the operation of the wringer it will be assumed that the head H is suitably supported and that the shaft 6 thereof is continually driven from some suitable driving unit. The operator stands on either one or the other side of the wrin er and by tilting the frame or swingin it rom its neutral position and relative to t e axis of the shaft 14 the member 12 is moved longitudinally of the housing to engage one or the other of the gears 10 with the drive gear 8. In this tilted position the lower driving wringer roll 76 is driven from shaft 6. It will be apparent that if the wringer is swung 86. Latch levers 88 are pivoted at 90 to op-.p posite ends 71 of the frame 70 and have latch hooks 92 for engaging the shoulders 86. Arms 94 extend upwardly from the latch levers and are connected by longitudinally extending members 96. Springs 98 connected between the lower ends of the latch levers 88 are provided to urge the latch hooks into enga ement with the cooperating locking shou ders.

As the frame is tilted to an operating position shown in Fig. 9 and with the operator standing for instance at the leftfhand side of the wringer, it is only necessary for the operator to press upon the member 96 to disengage the latch 88 from the shoulder 86. This permits the wringer to be tilted or swung to its neutral position and thus disengage the driving mechanism.

In case an operator has a hand caught between the bite of the rolls, she instinctively brings up against the bar so as to press at least slight y thereon and release the wringer for swinging movements to bring about the disengagement of the gears.

In this way the operator may instantl arrest rotation of the wringer driving rol and in that way is adequately guarded against injury.

Extensions 100 carried by the arm members 94 are provided with slots 102 which receive pins 104 of a transverse couple member 106. A handle 108 extends upwardly from the member 106 so as to be within easy reach of the operator. As this is grasped by the operator and moved in one direction or the other the latches are operated and the wringer may be oscillated between operative and inoperative positions.

It may be desirable to provide a plurality of members corresponding to the member 96 which may extend longitudinally of the wringer. This may be accomplished as shown in Fig. 2 by locating members 110 below the members 96 which extend between the latch lever mechanism.

The frame between its end portions has downwardly extending walls 112 at the side and below the drive rol1`76 (see Fig. 3). These are for directin water from the rolls downwardly within t e frame and a late 114 supported by lugs 116 is loc'ate beneath the walls 112. As water Hows from. off the wall 112 on t0 this plate 1144 and asv the wringer is tilted in one direction oi the other the plate will distribute the water between its longitudinal side edges and the sides of the wringer frame.

By means of the apparatus an operator is safeguarded against injury. At least as the operator stands at al side of the wringer she may quickly and readily disconnect the rolls from the driving mechanism by manually engaging the handle 108 or by bringing up against one of the longitudinally extending rods such as 96. By slight movements of either the handle 108 or of the rods the wringer is released from operative position and is free for oscillatory movementswitli respect to the housing, whereby the gears are disconnected as the wringer is brought to an operating neutral position.

Various changes may be made in the form of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A wringer comprising in combination,

a support, a wringer frame having a part,

oscillatable in said support, means associated with said support and part to bring about relative reciprocation as they are oscillated relative to one another, a drive roll in said wringer frame, driving connections associated with said support and roll engaged and disengaged as the wringer frame is reciprocated relative to said support and manually releasable locking means for locking said wringer against oscillation.

2. A wringer comprising in combination, a support, a wringer frame including a drive roll and a part oscillatable in said support, means associated withsaid support and part to cause relative reciprocation thereof as they are oscillated relative to one another, a driver in said support, driven gears associated with said roll engageable therewith as the part is reciprcated in one direction or the other and locking means for locking said part against oscillation.

3. A wringer structure comprising in combination, a support having a driving i mechanism associated therewith including a shiftable member for engaging and diseiigaging the same, a wringer frame including driving and driven rolls which is oscil- .latable between operative and inoperative positions on an axis parallel to the axes of said rolls to actua-te said shiftable member and locking means associated with said wringer frame and support to releasably hold the same in operative position against oscillation.

gaging the same, a wringer frame including driving and driven rolls which is oscillatable between operative and inoperative positions on an axis parallel to the axes of said rolls to actuate said shiftable member and locking means associated with said wringer frame and support to releasably hold the same in operative position against oscillation, the said locking means including means associated with said wringer frame and support to releasably hold the. saine in operative position against oscillation, the said locking means including a p-ivoted member on said wringer frame for engaging a part on said support and a manually engageable part extending from said pivoted member along said wringer.

6. A( wringer structure comprising in combination, a support having driving mechanism associated therewith including a shiftable member for engaging and disengaging the same, a wringer frame including coacting rolls which is oscillatable and reciprocable on an axis parallel to that of said rolls between operative and inoperative positions, connections between said shiftable member and wringer frame whereby the former is actuated by movements of the latter, means to yieldingly hold the wringer fra-me against oscillation, means to lock the same against oscillation when in operative position and manually operable means connected to said locking means.

7. A wringer structure comprising in combination, a support having driving mechanism associated therewith including a shiftable member for enga-ging and disengaging the same, awringer :trame including coacting rolls which is oscillatable and reciprocable on an axis parallel to that of said rolls between operative and inoperative positions, connections between said shiftable member and wringer frame whereby the former is actuated by movements of the latter, means to yieldingly hold the wringer frame against oscillation, means to lock the same against oscillation when in operative position and manually operable means connected to said locking means, the said locking'means including a lever and a shoulder associated with the wringer frame and support.

8. A wringer comprising in combination, a support, a wringer frame having a pain of peripherally engaged co'acting rolls rotatable therein, driving mechanism associated with said support and one of said rolls 1ncluding a shiftable member to engage and disengag'e the same,` the said frame being movable in said support between operable and inoperable positions having connections with said shiftable member whereby the said member is shifted by movements of the latter and manually operable locking means associated with said frame and support for releasably locking the frame to the support.

9. A wringer comprising in combination, a support, a wringer frame having a pair of peripherally engaged coacting rolls rotatable therein, driving mechanism associated with said support and one of said rolls including a shiftable member to engage and disengage the same, the said frame being movable in said support between operable and inoperable positions having connections with said shiftable member whereby the said member is shifted by movements of the latter and manually operable locking means associated with said frame and support for releasably locking the frame to the support, the said locking means including a rod extending along said rolls in the path of the arms of an operator.

10. A wringer comprising in combination, a support, a wringer frame having a pair of peripherally engaged coacting rolls rotatable therein which is oscillatable in said support between an inoperative position -With the axis of the rolls disposed in a certain plane and an operative position with -the plane of said axes disposed at an angle to said certain plane, vdriving connections associated with said support and frame including a shiftable member t'o engage and disengage said connections actuated by,

movements of said frame and manually engageable releasable locking means associated with said frame and support to releas-l ably lock the frame in operative position.

11. A wringer comprising in combination, a support, a wringer frame having a pair of peripherally engaged coacting rolls rotatable therein which is oscillatable in said f support between an inoperative rposition facilitate reciprocation thereof as it is ascillated.

12. A wringer comprising in combination, a head including driving connections having a shiftable member to en age and disengage the same, a frame exten ing from the head having peripherally engageable coacting rolls oscillatable on said head whereby the rolls are moved from a position Where the axes of said rolls are disposed in a certain plane and a plane at an angle relative thereto, connections between said frame and shiftable member whereby the latter is actuated by movements of the former and manually engageable releasably locking means to releasably lock the frame to' the support.

13. A'wringer comprising in combination, a head including driving connections having a shiftablemeinber to engage and disengage the same, a frame extending from the head having peripherally engageable coacting rolls oscillatable on said head whereby the rolls are moved from a positionwhere the axes of said rolls are disposed in a certain plane and a plane at an angle relative thereto, connections between said frame and shiftable member whereby the latter is actuated by movements of the former and manually engageable releasably locking means to releasably lock the frame to the support, the said locking means including an operating rod extending along the frame disposed in the path of the arms of an operator.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

JULIAN L. PERKINS.

associated with said support and frame in- I cluding a shiftable member to engage and disengage said connections actuated by movements of said frame and manually engageable releasable locking means associated with said frame and support to releasably lock the frame in operative position, the said shiftable member being oscillatable and reciprocable in said support and means associated with the support and member to 

